Welcome to Your Nightmare, Hakuba Saguru!
by neonquincy1217
Summary: In pursuit of the serial murderer, Spider, Hakuba finds himself trapped in his illusions, and what it showed him made the detective from London lose his wits. HakubaxAkako, romance, mystery, humor, maybe even fluff, rated T coz I'm paranoid. Updated, FINALLY, CH1!
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Heyheyhey, everybody!~ Here's a story that just got my right-side brain working recently. This time, it's a Hakuba x Akako story. Yes, I know, I'm not much of the fan of this pairing either, but I thought they'd fit the parts well...

Plus, this is my way of 'apologizing' to Hakuba for making him a big jerk in my other story, LOL.

Enjoy the prologue!~ ^_^

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**Summary: **In pursuit of the serial murderer, Spider, Hakuba finds himself trapped in his illusions, and what it showed him made the detective from London lose his wits. HakubaxAkako, romance, mystery, humor, maybe even fluff, rated T coz I'm paranoid.

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** Prologue **

"SNAP OUT OF IT, HAKUBA SAGURU!" he heard someone shout, and before he even found out what's been going on, he felt cold water touch his exhausted features, getting even his best suit wet.

In an instant, the blonde detective's eyes swung open, his pupils dilating, his heart loudly beating inside his chest, his blood violently gushing through every vein in his body, as if awakened from a terrible dream. The first thing he saw when his brain started to process correctly again was a white-clad figure that is the Phantom Thief, with a water hose at hand, his silhouette outlined by the strong white lights behind him.

Upon the sight, every detail of what happened came back to him, and realized his feet are hanging a meter or two above the ground, and that the rest of his body is being held up by wires against his will.

There was sound of trump cards flying on either side of the detective, and Hakuba felt the wires loosen their hold on him, before he was sent falling face-up to the concrete with a loud _thump_. Once done, Kaitou Kid turned his attention to a higher platform of the building, his card gun threateningly pointed to a figure clad in all black, almost like a shadow, grinning on the both of them with malice.

It was the night of another Kaitou Kid heist, and Hakuba swore that if Günter von Goldberg—the world's greatest illusionist—is back in Japan, his alter ego—the greatest assassin in the world, Spider—would be appearing that night in an attempt to kill the magician. Sure enough, he was right. That is, until a miscalculation came to him: Spider was well-prepared to kill the Phantom Thief, he's more than willing to put the British detective inside his nightmares.

"END OF THE LINE, SPIDER!" Kid shouted, his thunderous voice void of any gentlemanly decorum. "_I'm_ the one you want. Don't get other people involved in this!"

To this, the silhouette replied, as the three circular red orbs on his ebony mask glistened in the shadows, "Haha, and here I thought I would finally get rid of you once I send the detective to his death first."

Turning his attention to Hakuba, who's leaning on his elbows for support, Spider added, "If only I knew you would have such an interesting nightmare, I should have done this a long time ago."

With the little strength he has left, Hakuba stood up and glared at Spider as if what he said was taboo. He could have sworn the guy's smirk grew bigger before he continued, his misty voice flooding the scene, "Like they say, '_the higher the pedestal, the harder the fall_.' You might be a genius, but once a genius falls, he breaks. You're not that special;you're _only _a fragile boy after all."

Both teens gritted their teeth at this insult, much to Spider's delight, and without warning, Kid sent a barrage of trump cards flying to the illusionist's direction. If not injure him, the thief thought he could at least get his mask off of his face. But just as Kid thought he has finally injured him, a flash of red light blinded both Kid and Hakuba, and the next thing they know, Spider has already disappeared, his voice echoing around them in a macabre fashion that will send chills down anyone's spine…

"_We'll meet again, my dear Tantei-kun… But never forget, __**your nightmare is always by your side**__"_

The thief and the detective stood petrified on the now empty precipice Spider was standing on just a while back. After they fully realized their common enemy is not making a reappearance, Kid automatically turned to the direction of the detective and casually walked over.

"Tantei-kun, are you okay?" the thief asked, more of curiosity than concern.

Hakuba felt his knees collapse. With one hand to his forehead he informed him in a feeble manner, "Y-yeah… somewhat…"

He didn't want to admit it, but Hakuba's mind right now is still being clouded by the nightmare Spider has shown him. The assassin's little 'present' to him physically and mentally drained him more than his years of pursuit of him. _But what was that about?_

"_Up on the rooftop!"_ someone from the Kid Task Force said over the now grounded receiver strapped on Hakuba's belt. Footsteps from below continued their way up the building. Once the inspector managed to appear on the doorstep, he bellowed "I've got you now, Kid!" before he ran towards him, desperate of capturing said thief.

"Whoops, gotta run!" Kid uttered, and with a puff of smoke, he was nowhere to be seen.

It took only seconds before Ginzo turned his attention from the place where Kid once stood to the crouching form of the Superintendent General's son, drenched and utterly fatigued. "Oi, Hakuba, what happened?"

"Kid just saved me, I think," Hakuba murmured to no one in particular. His voice was so soft, Ginzo had to lean over to hear his every word.

"From what?" the inspector asked in curiosity.

For a moment, Hakuba hesitated. If he told the police about Spider, they might get themselves in a bigger problem. And so, with a shake of his head, and still in a dazed state, he spoke with the same soft voice, "N-nevermind."

Hakuba grabbed a fistful of his flaxen hair, his almond eyes focused on nothing in particular. _But that vision… that girl… I'm pretty sure that was…_

"Oh, I can't believe I fell for an illusion," he whispered. He's a man of reason. Just how stupid can he get to be caught up in as such ludicrous thing as an illusion?

"What was that?" the middle-aged man asked, leaning even closer to him.

"Ah, uh, nothing," he lied, but not without a stutter. Hakuba tried to stand up and let out a curse upon realizing how exhausted he's become. Ginzo instinctively helped the younger lad up and commented in the hope of making the teen at least a little better.

"Well, at least you got the Silver Siren back. Great work, Hakuba," and he gave him a tap on the back.

"Huh?"

Confused, Hakuba looked down to his chest and saw the jewel, a silvery-bluish moonstone as big as one's palm, hanging around his neck. Attached to it was a note that both Ginzo and Hakuba read:

_As it turns out, I'll return this gem.  
I look forward to our next rendezvous, Nakamori-keibu.  
-Kaitou Kid (beside it is a caricature, with Kid doing a peace sign)_

"Geez, I really can't understand that thief…" Ginzo remarked, but the blonde quickly cut him off.

"Wait, there's more," he told him, plucked the paper off the gem and turned the note over, only to realize it was meant for him:

_**P.S.**__ Take it easy, Tantei-san.  
I shall resume my endeavors two weeks from now to give you time to recuperate._

Before the inspector can even finish reading the rest of the note, Hakuba hastily crumpled the piece of paper and hid it out of sight.

"On second thought, it's not that important," he informs the elder. _I don't want anyone getting the wrong impression._

Out of concern, the inspector inquired, "You think you can still get yourself home on your own?" with which Hakuba only managed a nod.

Giving up in their pursuit against the Phantom Thief who vanished out of thin air, everyone retreated, including Hakuba who is currently letting Inspector Nakamori assist him back down the building.

"I appreciate your concern, Kid, but that's not what I'm worried about…" he said quietly. At the back of his head, the same riddle that bothered him rung loud and clear…

_Spider…_

_What's the purpose of showing me __**that**__?_

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_**'Welcome to your Nightmare, Hakuba Saguru...'**_

_**And just what is in this nightmare that got the British detective all worked up?**_

_**Find out in the latter chapters! (It gets interesting, I swear.)**_

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**A/N: **Uhm, it doesn't quite sound like a Kaito x Hakuba fic, does it? *paranoid mode*

Anyways, I had this idea way back and only managed to write it now. I considered writing this would give me a different perspective to Magic Kaito's secondary characters... I also wonder what Hakuba's greatest fear is, and by pondering so much on it, this story concept was born, teehee!~

Just a little background info: Spider is an anime-only character who made his appearance in the Magic Kaito special episodes. Unlike in the manga where Hakuba aimed on capturing Kaitou Kid, the anime adaptation made Hakuba's priority is to capture the serial murderer, Spider, using Kaitou Kid as bait. If you guys need a little more background information on this, I suggest you watch episodes **7 (The Splendid Rivals)** and **9 (The Witch, the Detective and the Phantom Thief)** of the Magic Kaito specials, or visit detectiveconanwiki. *smiles*

**Comments and reviews are loved!~ **(although I doubt the HakubaxAkako pairing has as much fan as, say, KaitoxAoko or KaitoxHakuba or KaitoxShinichi or HakubaxAoko, LOL)

**.**

**Love Lots,**

**-neonquincy1217**

**:3**


	2. Virtual Fear

**A/N: **Hi there guys!~ Thanks for the reviews. It's nice to know people want to read this even though time is unkind to me, heehee.

Anyways, here it is, _finally, _chapter 1. Nothing much is happening yet, but still that's a start, ne? Enjoy a little Kuroba-Hakuba interaction!~

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**Ch1 Virtual Fear**

It was a Monday morning at Ekoda High class 2-B, and everyone is still hyped up about Kaitou Kid's heist the night before. That is, everyone except Aoko and Kaito, who once again began their morning routine of chasing each other in class. And it has nothing to do with the Phantom Thief at all, but with Kaito once again flipping her skirt and embarrassing her in class.

"YOU PERVERT! I SWEAR YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!" the inspector's daughter bellowed as she reached for the mop at the far corner of the room.

"Oh, come on. They're just panties!~" the magician shouted in glee as he practically flew and cackled like a madman across the room, Aoko on his heels.

It was no wonder these two were the center of the class' attention early in the morning. Most students in class loved seeing Kaito and Aoko wreck their classroom with their chaotic ordeal; it makes their wait for the bell a tad amusing.

Overall, there was nothing unusual that morning, until Hakuba Saguru arrived in a zombie-like state. There was an eerily creepy silence as he slid the door open and stammered to his seat, dragging his bag beside him. He was attracting so much attention, even the ones initiating the ruckus stopped to turn their heads to him.

Aoko was the first to comment on the lad's appearance. Tilting her head to the side, she casually noted as she approached, with Kaito on her heels, "Ah, Hakuba-kun, you look pale. Are you okay?"

Indeed, the chief of police's son looked like he was deprived of food and sleep. There were dark lines clearly visible under his eyes, his lips were dry and almost white, his almond orbs, usually calm and collected, looked distant and disturbed, and his back slouched like he was carrying all the weight of the world. The teenager's flaxen hair stuck out in odd angles; his bangs in particular looked like it suffered the wrath of his clenched fist for hours.

Hakuba's slowly lifted his head to look at his classmates, forced a smile and said, "As okay as I'll ever be," and he stumbled on to the direction of his seat.

The detective's frail state did not stop the magician from messing with him. In fact, with a malicious grin, he added to Aoko's earlier statement, "Yeah, what happened to you? You're so pale, your skin's turning the same color as your hair. Is that a beauty secret of some s—OW!"

Kaito cringed as he earned a rib-splitting elbow attack from the girl beside him. "Don't be rude," the girl hissed through gritted teeth, much to the magician's chagrin. Somehow, Aoko's concern for the blonde bothered him so. The two individuals followed suit of Hakuba, Aoko being too worried about her classmate's well-being.

"I see you've gotten some sleep. Good for you," the blond muttered, addressing the sentence to the magician as he placed his bag on top of his table and took his seat. This left Aoko in curiosity.

"What does he mean by that, Kaito?"

Said guy shrugged at the statement and flatly announced, "No idea."

For the next minute or so, Kaito engrossed himself with examining the London detective's frail appearance. By now, Hakuba has placed his cheek flat on his desk, amber eyes staring at nothing in particular and letting his dry mouth hang slightly open. It does not take a genius to deduce it has something to do with the previous night's encounter. Of all people in class, however, only the magician knew what it was, and he couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the way Tantei-san is.

Instead of consoling the guy, however, Kaito thought it best to act his normal dorky character and teased the detective, saying, "What's the matter? Don't tell me your failure of catching Kid-sama is getting you down. Don't let it get to you. You _always_ fail to catch him, after all."

The blond raised his head to give the magician an 'I-can't-believe-you're-still-feigning-innocence' look, with which Kaito only grinned even wider. Finally, with a defeated sigh, Hakuba voiced, "It's not that, Kuroba," and bit his tongue to the words '_You know that as much as I do.'_

With an elbow to his desk, the detective placed a hand on his head and continued, "I couldn't seem to get my mind off last night's events; it kept me awake."

"_Last night's events_?" Aoko butted in, a look of deep concern on her features. "Did you mean the heist, Hakuba-kun? Did that baka-thief do something bad to you?"

Hakuba let out a light chuckle upon his classmate's innocent statement.

"On the contrary, Aoko-kun…" he started, but was cut off by the sight of plum-colored tresses that match crimson eyes—Koizumi Akako's sudden presence in the room. He felt himself gape for about a quarter of a second. Just watching the resident charmer make her way to her seat sent his empty stomach on a roller coaster—heck, her mere presence makes him remember why he spent a sleepless night to begin with.

Whilst most of his male classmates followed suit of the newly-arrived girl, Hakuba can only gaze on the plum-haired teen from a distance, a wild blush on his pale features.

_That's it. This makes no sense; it's driving me crazy._

Unable to take the uncomfortable tingly feeling in the pits of his gut any longer, Hakuba grabs Kaito by the wrist without warning and starts dragging him out of the room.

"Oi, oi, OI! What the heck?" Kaito growled out of protest, trying to free himself from Hakuba's grip. Despite the Brit's frail appearance, he's got pent-up energy from who-knows-where and Kaito can't seem to get rid of him too easily.

Just as Kaito was only about a second away from shaking the other's hold on him completely, the taller guy did an abrupt turn before saying, "May I have a word, Kuroba?"

Midway through his struggle, said guy let out a small, "Uh, hah?" as he raised an eyebrow at his 'attacker'.

The London detective eyed Kaito in such a way that he would have no choice but to conform.

"I promise you it won't take long," he uttered in a soft voice before dragging the other boy with him out the room and into the corridor. The inspector's daughter followed suit of them and called out as they exited, "Ah, Kaito!"

Both paused to look at Aoko, who stood there by the door looking rather serious, with a finger pointed directly to the magician in question.

With a threatening voice, she shouted, "Don't you dare do anything perverted to Hakuba-kun, you got that?"

"LIKE HELL I WOULD!" Kaito bellowed.

Screw society and corridor manners. Did his best friend just think he'll ever make a move for the detective who wants to fry him alive?!

-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-

"So… what is it you want to talk about _hebo-tantei_ (**A/N:**fraud-detective)?" Kaito asked in a sing-song voice as he closed the door behind him. He watched as the other boy walked to the far side of the roof deck, and decided to follow Hakuba in silence, his eyes glued to his back side.

Hakuba simply ignored the magician's remark, knowing all too well he doesn't have the time (or the energy) to argue. Instead, after reaching the edge of the deck, he leaned on the metal fence and faced him, saying, "Kuroba, I'd like to thank you for last night."

"Huh?"

"Although I really meant to say this to Kaitou Kid," the detective followed up, his gaze leaving Kaito for a moment. Hakuba hates to admit it, but if it wasn't for the white-clad thief's emergence he would be as good as dead. Kaito, however, sported a blank face.

"So why in the world are you telling me this?" the brunette queried with a blink or two. This irked Hakuba more than usual, and if it wasn't for the fact that he feels all worn out, he could have tricked the magician in the most arrogant way he could into revealing his own cover.

_He's still denying it._

"I could tell you, but I'm afraid I don't have time."

He had established early on that Koizumi Akako is clearly out of his league, and has therefore kept himself at bay by being content with watching her from a distance. But all it took was one senseless illusion and his nerves brought him on edge… and Hakuba wanted to believe there's a logical explanation behind this illogical occurrence.

"I need your help… or rather, I need you to hear me out," he slurred, to which the magician let out a cackle.

"Heh, I never thought I'd see the day you'd come to me for advice, hebo-tantei."

The blonde twitched in discomfort as he tried to keep himself from doing his classmate any physical harm. A couple of deep, cleansing breaths later, he told him, "I hate to be indebted to you but I'm afraid I had no choice."

That assassin I have been following for years, he's got his eyes set on killing The Phantom Thief."

Hakuba watched as Kuroba let out a loud, mocking snort.

"Who would want to kill Kid? I mean, I know he steals but he never hurts anybody… as far as I know."

"Kuroba, he uses hypnosis to kill," the detective reiterated, frustration now evident in his statement.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't fol—"

"What I'm trying to say is," Hakuba interrupted. It was clear to him the other boy would keep denying his secret identity for as long as he can. He heaved a sigh. For a while, he just felt like Kaito's lack of cooperation is wearing him out even more. He then continued, two fingers on the bridge of his nose, "as a magician yourself, I thought at least you should know something about… illusions?"

Kaito fought the urge to flinch as Hakuba directed a sharp glare to his direction. Seeing the brunette's reaction, Hakuba looked away and sighed deeply in an effort to calm down somehow.

"I'm listening," the magician finally said, hands now stuffed in his pockets and practically all of him screamed 'I'll-stop-being-a-jerk-now-and-face-you-properly'. It took a couple more seconds of consideration before Hakuba finally started talking.

"Spider: that's what he's called. At least, that's his criminal alias. You might have heard of him… Günter von Goldberg, the world's greatest illusionist?"

"Go on…"

"I've been pursuing him long before Kaitou Kid returned, and it's the first time last night that he ever tried to trap me." The taller of the two glared at the other, before he continued, "That goes to show how determined he is to kill you: that he doesn't mind getting me in the middle of it. After all, if I catch Kaitou Kid, he'd have no way to get to you unless he surrenders."

Kaito faked a choke at this before once again, his denial tendencies kicked in. "Me? Aren't you talking about Kid?"

With his patience growing thin, the detective snapped, "Well, if _you're _Kaitou Kid, you should know how his illusion works!"

The blonde watched as Kaito pursed his lips. The other boy must have the feeling Hakuba must be desperate to come confront him like this not to interrogate him but to press about the events of the night before. Despite this, Kaito has no intention of admitting to his night time occupation whatsoever.

"Afraid not," the magician replied in a carefree manner, "Buuut, if it's illusion, maybe I can give you a hint or two. How does this Spider-dude do his thing anyways?"

Hakuba pondered for a moment, trying to remember every little detail from his queer encounter with the assassin. Kaito, still keeping his blissfully ignorant act, watched as almond eyes stared blankly at the vast space before them.

"_'Welcome to your nightmare,' _he says, and he shows you your greatest fear, then he uses that until his target self-destructs. Luckily Kid was there last night and helped me snap out of it."

"I see. So what _is_ your greatest fear?" the shorter boy asked not because he felt he's obligated to, but rather he, too, is curious. Although, if he was to guess he reckons it has something to do with Akako-chan, judging by the way he was acting to the very sight of the witch not too long ago. Bu then again that's debatable; it's probably just the scarlet magic kicking in or something.

"That's not important!" the blonde hissed his reply, and for the first time since the conversation started, Kaito was taken aback. He just didn't expect the gentleman to react the way he did. The magician realized why, though, when Hakuba, with his eyes still lost in thought, continued.

"See, it's just that, that illusion felt so real; it still haunts me… in an abnormally illogical way." (**A/N:** It just seems like Hakuba would really say such a thing, 'abnormally illogical,' hehe)

The brunette watched as the other boy ran his fingers through his hair, nails digging his scalp in an effort to find an answer. Wandering sapphire orbs looked up to the heavens as its owner tries to find a way to make the detective feel better (somehow he just feels obliged to do so, just like all the other times he sees someone upset). Finally, Kaito let out a relieved sigh and said in a stoic manner, "I still don't know why you're telling me this. But whether or not what you saw is an illusion, there is no such thing as a virtual fear."

Hakuba raised his head and stared directly at the magician, his questioning eyes suddenly sparked of interest. Seeing the blonde's reaction, Kaito flashed a wide smile before he continued, "If whatever that Spider-dude showed you scares you to the point of no-sleep, surely you know you have to do something about it."

Kuroba paused to replace both hands in his pockets and continued, "If fear is a sign of weakness then we're all cowards. If it were me, I'd resolve it. Isn't that what living is about?"

"You…" Hakuba murmured. For about a minute or two the detective mused over the statement. Finally, a knowing smile slowly curved on his features.

"I don't want to admit it, but you're right," he told the magician who's now got his arms crossed together in arrogance.

_Kekeke, of course I am. I'm awesome that way, _thought the airhead, his nose stuck on some cloud, and grinning in self-satisfaction.

"By the way," said he after quickly snapping himself out of his delusional state just to ask, "what did that illusionist sh—and he's gone."

True enough, where Hakuba once stood was just empty space.

"Tsk."

-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-

Kuroba Kaito skipped merrily as he entered the classroom, looking for any sign of the blonde who somehow escaped him without his knowledge, but to no avail. Hakuba was nowhere inside class 2-B's abode, and Kaito, who felt cheated all of a sudden ("Geez, he could have told me what the illusion was"), kept his Poker Face in place on the way to his desk.

"So? What did Hakuba-kun want to talk about?" Aoko chimed as soon as the spiky-haired boy has settled down on the seat beside her.

"Love problems," was Kaito's brief reply, to which the girl rolled her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous! You know _nothing _about romance," the inspector's daughter uttered with a scoff, but stopped when Hakuba, who somehow looked less like the undead and more invigorated before Kaito chatted with him, entered the room in haste and stopped just inches away from the scarlet temptress's desk.

The whole class fell dead silent when the detective from London banged both hands on Akako's desk, leaned in so they make eye contact and called, "Koizumi Akako-san."

Akako, who up to that point was busying herself reading from some old, leather-bound notebook, placed everything in her satchel right away before uttering a stern "Yes?"

"May I invite you for dinner tonight?"

Practically everyone in the room had their mouths hanging dry upon the turn of events. Akako, too stunned to say something of length can only manage an "E-excuse me?"

"Dinner. Tonight. At my place?" Hakuba repeated in a less gentlemanly and more demanding manner this time.

Fiery red orbs gazed at almond, and to onlookers, it seemed as if the lass is trying to read past him… that, or she's secretly trying to injure him with a glare. Hakuba remained unfazed, however (which by the way proved to be a chore for some reasons he's not aware of) and added in an awkward manner, "Unless you're busy…"

The lass watched as the detective from London bit his lip in an out-of-character fashion, a faint blush on his cheeks. All that while, Hakuba tried not to break eye contact, and he swore he's never felt as nervous as he does now in all his life. He waited with bated breath, pale lips now pursed together and knuckles turning as white as his namesake. The temptress blinked a couple of times, clearly still in shock, but at the same time seeking for possible reasons for the admittedly-handsome-but-never-once-showed-interest-towards-her classmate to suddenly ask her out. Finally, she shook her head slowly, all the while maintaining eye contact with the gentleman.

"No, not at all. But I—"

"Perfect," Saguru hummed, throwing in the most charming gleam he can muster. "So would you rather I have someone pick you up or…?"

Akako managed to curve a twitchy smile as she quickly said with a shrug, "No. I can manage."

"Tonight at six, then," the blonde gleamed and, gathering up enough courage, took Akako by the hand. "I'll be expecting you, Koizumi-san," he added before he placed a kiss on the girl's hand and was well out of the room in a flash.

The dumbfounded Aoko sat gaping in disbelief for a whole minute before the display, her gaze glued to the slightly blushing redhead who has somehow froze in place. Kaito let out a triumphant chuckle which only his best friend can hear before he scooted over to her seat and sang, "I told you so."

* * *

**_A dinner date? With Koizumi Akako? Tonight? And she didn't seem to be uninterested. Just what is Hakuba up to, and how is he planning to resolve his Spider issues?_**

**_To be continued..._**

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**A/N: **There ya go! To be honest, like I've posted on my page, I'm kinda having troubles with this one cos there's not much interaction between Hakuba and Akako in the actual MK series so I'm kinda worried about possible OOCs. Rest assured, though, I'm making something up and I'm gonna try to flesh these people up and come up with something believable... well, to a certain degree (scarlet arts is unbelievable enough as it is but meh, suspension of disbelief... :D)

Thankies for hanging in there with me~ Much love~ RxR please, thanks!~ ^^;

**Love lots,**

**-neonquincy1217-**


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